A broad view: international perspectives on American discourse

Political discourse and debate have been at the forefront of Nueva discussion for in which this is held still has much to be examined

Ines P. ’25 finds herself navigating the US cautiously, knowing that her every belief, word, and indicator of identity can shape who she is to society.

Ines, who was born in Paris and lived in London from ages 7 to 15, has been learning to adapt to the “individualistic” culture which she has noticed in people who have lived in the US for a longer period of time. She’s noticed this comes down to even the smallest social interactions.

“Here being in the US, it’s very much focused on yourself and what you have to do, and less about other people,” Ines said.

Ines is just one of multiple students who’ve only recently moved to the US. In his first year of living in the US after growing up in Myanmar, Jeffery A. ’23 has noticed a contrast between the two countries in the way that people handle individual and collective interests.

“The value of community, and more so just the family in general, is something I don't see a lot in America,” Jeffery said. “And so I've tried to apply that sense of familiarity and community with everyone back here [in the US].”

In March 2022, Jeffery moved to the US from Myanmar, where he lived since he was born. In Myanmar, he has always found that he could build a familiar relationship with neighbors, classmates, and others around him. He has been incorporating this into his everyday life in the US by making a conscious effort to get to know his classmates and make sure everyone knows that they are respected.

However, Jeffery has found this to be much more difficult given the way in which he’s noticed people in the US talking to each other. Jeffery and Ines have both noticed that discourse in the US is often boiled down to a single identity, with Jeffery stating that “people in America are gravitating towards treating politics like a sport.”

“I think the problem is that there is discourse, but there is no discourse… you could be talking about something simple, but it becomes a big war, and everybody is very polarized in their views,” Ines said. “People will very quickly of 14 and 16. She feels that the constant push and pull between the US two parties has prevented citizens from compromising.

“Sometimes I wonder whether this tension is a necessary way for the country to hold a balance,” Rosie said. “I definitely hope that people can become more open to different ideas, and not just ‘the right idea.’”

A core value that Rosie, Ines, and Jeffery hold—and credit to having lived in a different country— is open-mindedness to other beliefs. Rosie sees the constant polarization as a “deviation” from free speech, limiting the way in which people can express themselves when talking.

“I’ve noticed a tendency where different places will have their different ideas of what is politically correct,” Rosie said. “The majority in a given place will just stick to the idea and everyone will have to subject to it, or else they will get a lot of hate, and I feel like there should be more space for other different beliefs.” start attacking other people's identities instead of attacking their beliefs. And so I think politics in the US is very much like reduced to your identity, rather than a belief of how the world should function.”

Rosie D. ’23 has found that the polarization and tension is a striking cultural difference between the US and China, where she had lived since birth until middle school, and again between the ages

The three of them recognize that their positions on politics are different from other classmates, taking note of the “echo chambers.” However, they hope that by applying the values in which they learned in other countries, that the US could slowly become a space for more tolerance and respect.

“We're all products of our different experiences, and that shapes who we are and what our beliefs are,” Jeffery said. “I think as long as you understand that everyone is coming from good intentions, that could help fix a lot of things here.”